NASHVILLE, Tenn. – After weeks of preseason training and two exhibition games, the Lipscomb men’s soccer team kicks off the regular season on Friday, Aug. 24 with a 7 p.m. match at Evansville.

The Bisons enter the season with 30 student-athletes, 17 of which are new to the program this season. Leadership will be looked for from fifth-year seniors Ethan Summers and Jeremy Reid along with three other seniors of Tyler Burkhardt, Josh Robert and Matt Shanklin.

Defender Omar Djabi, an A-Sun All-Freshman team selection from last season earned preseason honors from topdrawersoccer.com as a Top 20 Player to Watch in the A-Sun.

In the Atlantic Sun Preseason Coaches Poll, the Bisons were picked to finish fifth in conference play with ETSU chosen as the early favorites.

Evansville was picked to finish sixth in the Missouri Valley Conference preseason poll with forward Jesse Sharp being chosen to the Preseason All-Conference Team. The Aces finished last season 5-11-1 overall and 0-5-1 in MVC play. The Bisons and Aces last played in the 2008 season when the two squads battled to a 0-0 draw.

Following Friday’s contest, the Bisons open the home portion of the regular season by hosting Eastern Illinois on Sunday, August 26, with a 7 p.m. kick-off.

Eastern Illinois was picked to finish seventh in the Summit League, in which they are an associate member. The Panthers return 12 players from a squad that finished 7-9-1 overall last season with a 1-4-1 record in conference play, for a seventh-place finish. The Bisons fell to the Panthers last season 2-1 last season in a match-up in Charles, Ill.